Combination of advanced Mass Spectrometry imaging technologies

A choice of complementary ionization techniques provides flexibility and delivers multi-layered, information-rich data from a single sample.

Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI)

Excellent spatial resolution

Wide variety of applications

Well established MS imaging approach

Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI)

Minimal sample preparation

Excels at lipid and small molecule imaging

Enables multiple imaging experiments on the same sample

Multiple Experiments with the Same Sample

Many applications demand the maximum amount of information from the minimum of sample.

The non-destructive nature of DESI means that a single tissue section can be analyzed multiple times, for example at different spatial resolutions or in different polarities, without significant degradation of signal or modification of chemical signature.

Following multiple DESI analyses, the same tissue section can then be used for further analysis, for example histological staining or analysis by MALDI MS imaging.

MS imaging with the power of Ion Mobility

Unlike UPLC-MS, MS imaging does not involve any form of separation prior to ionization. The resulting data are often highly complex due to the level of detail observed and the potential for background interferences.

SYNAPT HDMS enables the powerful combination of MALDI and DESI imaging with ion mobility-mass spectrometry. This allows the gas phase separation of ions by compound class and charge in an MS imaging experiment, providing a level of selectivity that would not be possible with mass resolution alone.

The result of this is cleaner imaging data, allowing the more precise visualization of molecular distributions in the presence of background.